In the book 1984, George Orwell wrote about a future where people were ruled by a police state and the majority of the world was controlled by three super powers:

1. Oceania
2. Eurasia
3. East Asia.

Roughly translated, Oceania would translate down to the American empire (including Britain - it was considered by the author to be culturally similar to the rest of Oceania and too differnet from the others for Eurasia to really want to take over.)

a European/west Asian state (the EU excluding Britain, including maybe Russia and some of the middle east) was givven the name of Eurasia.

The third was East Asia which we can be equated to china's rising/expected influence.

Its election season in the arab world, and we are currently on the third election - Egypt.

In the first elections in Tunisia, the Islamic minded party, Al Nahda (arabic for "The Awakening" or "The Renaissance" or dare I say it, "The Revival") was the leading party.

It should get a big say in the interim government which decides the future of the country (however it is possible that all the other parties could unite to keep it out of power).

The second elections were in Morocco last week, where once again, the largest part was the Islamic minded Islamic Justice and Development Party (PJD) won the most seats and with the changes in the country's constitution earlier this year, it means that they will form the govenrment and provide the prime minister in this kingdom democracy.

Today, Tunisia - the country where the Arab revolt/Arab spring started at the start of the year - goes to the polls.

Much is being said about these elections, with many people having many opinions.

Some fear that Tunisia will fall back from the heights of "feminism" that it reached under the previous secularist govenments which had forced women to uncover.

Others say that if the Islamic minded parties win, then freedom will be eroded.

Ofcourse, the previous governments lacked both feminism and freedom (forcing people into a garbs they do not want to wear is not feminism or freedom - the only "free" people were the ones that benefitted from the misery of the rest).

The Tunisians can now take their destiny into their own hands and we will watch to see how high they can soar.

Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, captured 5 years ago in 2006 when he was just 19 has now been released - being exchanged for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners - some of whom had been convicted of serious crimes, others who had not been charged at all.

He has spent a long time in captivity, and so have some of the people released.

One thing which I noted is that the 1000:1 ratio used here has been used previously too, when 1000 Palestinians (generally civillians) were killed for each Israeli (generally a soldier) in the assault in Gaza at the end of 2008/start of 2009.

I think that it is a good thing he was released - it needed to be done a long time ago.

I just hope that Palestinian lives are not considered to trade for so much less.

The Palestinian flag.

Image taken from Wikimedia Commons and is available in the Public Domain.

Except now that the Palestinians are taking this solution to the UN, all hell breaks loose.

The US says it will veto it, Israel is dead set against and even Tony Blair has risen from the lower regions of hell to try and stir against it.

I guess they all want a two state solution as long as it is not real.

but it is about tolerating them.

Think about it.

People are always calling for "the ummah" to "unite" and generally set out new places and positions to unite, telling them to leave the bickering of old.

But what these people don't understand is that there have been differing opinions and views from the start - going as far back as the first caliph and how to deal with the insurgent tribes in Arabia or even earlier to how to elect a new leader.

When Muslims have been united, it has not been because there have been no differences - rather because they weer tolerant of them, allowing others to have diferring views.

I have recently read a book by Mustafa Akyol titled "Islam without extremes", which is trying to answer the great mystery in Islam. The author quotes David Forte who makes the following statement:

Moving with the times.

Also taken from Kabobfest.

A very important question for the Muslim community.

Taken from Kabobfest.